"I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners."
Luke 5:32

The media highlighted Pope Francis habit of calling people out of the blue who write him letters. While it would be amazing to get a call from this very affable Pope, we ought to recognize there is someone who calls us every day who is much more worthy of our attention. Jesus calls us continually to Him and to the repentance He offers. Still, we have to answer this call to repentance. Sometimes we can be reluctant to answer our parents when they call us: after all, we have work to do and friends to meet. But how do we respond when Jesus calls us like He called Matthew? Do we leave everything behind to answer the call? If we do decide to pick up, we see in Isaiah the benefits of answering the Lord's call to repentance: "the Lord will guide you always," just as a wise parent counsels their child. Every now and then we call our parents in desperate need like David calls God in Psalm 86, calling for help so they might save us from the messes we've gotten ourselves into. Gently and lovingly, our Father points us in the right direction. Often the advice given is hard to follow, but if we abandon ourselves to His will and give everything as Matthew did, we will be rewarded. Once we ask for forgiveness the Lord has cleansed us of sin, we might consider calling our Father more often in the future.

Lord, every day help me to answer Your call to repentance. Help me leave my sins and attachments to the world behind, so that I might follow You more perfectly. Amen.